Improving Time

 

QUESTION: My grandfather loved old clocks and had quite a few. My favorite was a type of wall clock that looked like a banjo. In fact, he called it a banjo clock. It was one of my favorites, so when he died recently, I asked if I could have it. However, I don’t know anything else about it. Can you tell me more about banjo clocks and how I can tell the age of mine? 

ANSWER: Though it has become known as a banjo clock, it was first referred to as the Patent Timepiece, according to its inventor, noted early American clockmaker Simon Willard, who created the first one in Roxbury, near Boston, Massachusetts. Willard, originally of Grafton, Massachusetts, patented his clock in 1802. It was the first American 8-day wall clock, the first American wall clock to have the pendulum suspended in front of the weight in the case, and the first American wall clock to have the weight attached to a pulley. He reduced the brass clock mechanism to a much smaller size, thus saving brass which was in scarce supply in the early 19th century. 

He used the shape of a traditional wheel barometer for his clock case which he built by hand, to order. By 1805 the clockworks, as well as standard cases, could be produced in quantity, reducing the cost of the clock. Its small size meant a much lower price of $30, although this was still a large amount of money at the time. 

Because a banjo clock normally lacked a striking mechanism and indicated time only by its hands and dial, some horologists called it a timepiece rather than a true clock.

The banjo-style wooden case usually featured a round opening for a painted dial, a long-waisted throat, and a rectangular pendulum box with hinged door. Reverse-painted panels ornamented both the throat and door, and curved and pierced brass frets usually flanked the case. A finial mounted atop the case usually took the form of a cast-brass eagle or a turned, giltwood acorn.

Below, a narrow trunk, slightly wider at the bottom than the top, protected the weight, and at the bottom a wider compartment contained the lower part of the pendulum. Slender concave metal ornaments connected the three main parts of the clock. The design of Willard’s clock was perfect from the beginning. 

Willard's banjo clock was a lightly built, compact wall timekeeper, about 3 feet tall, accurate and dependable. It was economical to produce, graceful in appearance, and usually lacked hour-striking and alarm mechanisms. Weight-driven, it contained a small brass movement which further reduced its size and weight. The movement had been calculated so that a small drop of the weight—only 15 inches compared to about 6 feet for a tall case clock—would keep it running for 8 days. For ease of maintenance, Willard hung the clock’s pendulum in front of the movement, not behind, as in tall case or Massachusetts shelf clocks, an arrangement that American clockmakers soon widely adopted.

A typical banjo clock featured a white, circular face, painted with black Roman numerals, that flows into a long, tapered neck, which met at a square base. It also featured an elaborately painted hinged door of the base, often painted with a beautiful landscape, a naval scene, or an ornamental pattern. Thin pieces of curved brass often ran down the necks of these clocks, and brass sculptures, most commonly of an eagle, routinely crown their tops.

Willard’s Patent Timepiece revolutionized the clock industry, becoming the most popular clock in the United States. However, he didn’t apply for his patent until 1802, and by that time his competitors had already started to produce clocks similar to his. The clock became so popular that Willard didn’t even pursue these patent infringements. His company eventually produced over 4,000 banjo clocks. 

Willard permitted his numerous clockmaking relatives, former apprentices, and other clockmakers to produce banjo clocks following his original design. Variants of the banjo-style clock made by others include examples with square or diamond-shaped dials, and the extremely opulent, heavily gilt "girandole" style. 

Gideon Roberts, a Revolutionary War veteran from Bristol, Connecticut, made banjo clocks more affordable. He replaced the brass movements with less expensive wooden ones and also used painted paper dials. 

Banjo clocks were popular for 60 years. In the 1840s, railroads began using them at their stations. Some banjo clocks made for the railroads reached a whopping 7 feet high. But by the 1860s, banjo clocks became less desirable, and soon their production came almost to a complete halt.

Unfortunately for collectors of antique banjo clocks, many Willard banjo clocks do not carry their maker’s name, so it’s difficult to identify who made it.

To read more articles on antiques, please visit the Antiques Articles section of my Web site.  And to stay up to the minute on antiques and collectibles, please join the over 30,000 readers by following my free online magazine, #TheAntiquesAlmanac. Learn more about "Roman Arts and Culture" in the 2025 Winter Edition, online now. And to read daily posts about unique objects from the past and their histories, like the #Antiques and More Collection on Facebook.

The Clock is Ticking on Clock Collecting

 

QUESTION: I’ve been interested in clocks for a long time but only recently have I had enough extra cash to start a serious collection. How do I know what clocks to collect? I have a limited budget.

ANSWER: One of the quirky things about collecting clocks is that, depending on the size, they can not only take up space but also time–the time needed to keep them running. Clocks are precision instruments, even the smallest alarm clock has tiny working parts that need regular maintenance. 

However, not every old clock is worth collecting. In fact, collecting clocks can be a challenge because of the amount of space they take up. So people who do collect them are very particular. 

With antique clocks, condition is prime. To be worth anything, an antique clock needs to be in working order—in other words, it needs to tell time almost as good as it did when  first made.

From 1680 to 1840, tall case clocks was popular in America. Master clockmakers produced fewer than two dozen of these clocks a year. Eventually, these clocks became known as grandfather clocks. 

While these early clocks demonstrated the finest quality of workmanship, the cost of $50 or more excluded anyone but the very rich from owning one. Today, these same clocks can sell for four or five figures. While clockmakers produced the clockworks, coffin makers made the cases. Until about 1770, the brass dials had silver decoration. Painted dials and those coated with white enamel didn’t appear until 1790. Cheaper models had plain paper dials pasted on an iron or wooden background. While clockmakers produced the clockworks, coffin makers made the cases. Until about 1770, the brass dials had silver decoration. 

Next in the timeline of clockmaking came wall clocks. In 1802, Simon Willard patented his improved Timepiece," a wall clock shaped like a banjo. This style would be copied many times. Years later, the Waterbury Clock Co. manufactured a .umber of banjo clocks and used the name "Willard."

While the Willards introduced new lock styles, it was Gideon Roberts, a Revolutionary War veteran from Bristol, Connecticut., who began to make the clock more affordable. Roberts replaced he brass movements used to that point with less expensive wooden movements and also used painted paper dials. Imitating the German styling known as wag-on-the-wall, Roberts would also make clocks without a case. The exposed works could be encased for an additional fee. Using these methods, Roberts was able to produce 10 or more clocks at a time.

Clock manufacturers produced an infinite number of styles of mantel clocks from 1810 to 1860. These included papier-maché clocks, as well as pillar-and-scroll clocks with wooden movements.

Eli Terry been has generally credited with bringing mass-production to clockmaking in America. In 1797, Terry was granted the first American clock-related patent. In 1807, he signed a contract to make 4,000 clock movements within three years. Legend has it that Terry spent the first two years designing and constructing the machinery, which would allow him to fulfill his obligation. In 1810, with the help of apprentices Seth Thomas and Silas Hoadley, Terry's pillar-and-scroll shelf clock became the first inexpensive, factory-produced clock available to the American public. Thomas and Hoadley purchased Terry's factory that same year and worked together until 1813. Thomas eventually became one of America's best-known clockmakers.

The cuckoo clock dates back to 1730 when Swiss and Bavarian clockmakers developed the pendulum striking mechanism and the cuckoo concept. Unfortunately, cuckoo clocks never became popular with American manufacturers, but many American travelers purchased them in Germany and Switzerland, as did soldiers returning from World War I and II..

By 1850, technology would change most movements from weight to spring-driven, and brass coiled springs would be replaced by cheaper steel springs. Among the most popular clocks were the schoolhouse clock, the pressed oak "gingerbread" kitchen clock, the steeple clock, and the OG clock, which featured a double continuous S-shaped molding.

Novelty clocks have become another popular collectible category. There have been flower clocks, animated animal clocks, advertising clocks, and even dancing girl clocks. 

Researching an antique clock’s origins can be challenging. Those made in the 18th and at least the first half of the 19th century bore no labels. Some clockmakers did sign their works, especially those that made tall case clocks. Generally, they signed them somewhere on the dial. Many of those that did have labels in the latter part of the 1800s, lost them over time.  

The key to acquiring museum quality clocks is learning how to research, properly identify, and evaluate antique clocks. Rarity, provenance, originality, quality of manufacture, and quality of restoration all affect value.

An antique clock isn’t always as good as it appears. While a clock may look great from the outside, the condition of its works is what counts. Over time, abuse and bad repairs can add up, rendering what could have been a great find nearly worthless. 

The sad thing is that many antique clocks cannot be repaired. Even the best horologist can’t work miracles on many old clockworks. The reason is that most cannot obtain the parts needed to do the repairs. And the few younger clockmakers just don’t have the skills necessary to make the parts themselves. 

Because of the wide range of antique clocks available, many collectors choose to specialize, collecting one type of clock from different makers or a variety of clocks from the same maker, perhaps Seth Thomas. Another possibility is to collect a fine example of each type of clock. Some collectors assemble collections of clocks with different types of movements. 

But unlike a piece of antique furniture that has been restored, an antique clock that isn’t running isn’t worth collecting. 

To read more articles on antiques, please visit the Antiques Articles section of my Web site.  And to stay up to the minute on antiques and collectibles, please join the over 30,000 readers by following my free online magazine, #TheAntiquesAlmanac. Learn more about "The Age of Photography" in the 2023 Fall Edition, online now. And to read daily posts about unique objects from the past and their histories, like the #Antiques and More Collection on Facebook.